Madyun Doesn’t Get Hardship Waiver

Hanif Madyun, a 6-foot-5 senior basketball player who transferred from Los Angeles Crenshaw to Westchester, has been denied a hardship waiver by the City Section rules committee.

Madyun transferred under the federal No Child Left Behind law that allows students to transfer from failing schools but could only gain athletic eligibility if granted a hardship waiver. The family sought a waiver based on Crenshaw allegedly being unsafe.

Under a California Interscholastic Federation rule adopted in 2003, students who transfer under any provision of the law are not eligible at their new school.

Madyun is expected to appeal the decision.

-- Eric Sondheimer

Etiwanda and Compton Dominguez, two preseason favorites to challenge for boys’ section and state titles in Divisions I and II, respectively, will play at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 8 in the 11th Pangos Dream Classic at Hope International University’s Darling Pavilion in Fullerton.

Etiwanda lost in the Southern Section Division I-AA final to Long Beach Poly and the Southern California regional final to state champion Los Angeles Fairfax last season.

Dominguez, led by Louisville-bound swingman Bryan Harvey, is the defending section Division II-A and state Division II champion.

The other Dream Classic matchups are: Lynwood vs. L.A. Loyola at 5 p.m.; Compton Centennial vs. Las Vegas Bishop Gorman at 3:30 p.m.; Oxnard vs. Oxnard Rio Mesa at 12:30 p.m.; North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake vs. Fresno San Joaquin Memorial at 8:15 p.m., and Villa Park vs. a team to be announced at 2 p.m.